Electroplating device



, Patented De 17, 1929 UNITED STATES REUBEN B. SHEMITZ, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ELECTIRDPLATING DEVICE Application filed January 16, 1928. Serial No. 247,135.

This invention relates to plating devices and in particular to one using an electrolytic process for use in connection with articles that are too unwieldly or large to prevent the plating of the same by immersion in a tank or vat.

A particular object of the invention is to provide a small device which may be positioned against the article or part to be electro-plated, such asa large safe or vault, for

instance, which is to be nickel plated at certain points as on the operating dial and where it would otherwise be necessary to remove from the safe or vault in order to immerse the same in an electro-plating tank.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device having a removable electrode of plating material positioned therein to- A gether with a liquid holding casing, the same being connected up electrically so that the plating material of the electrode is precipitated through the pad and on to the surface to be plated.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which will render the plating of articles without the use of a large amount of plating liquid and without the spilling of acid and other chemicals used in the plating process. 1

To enable others skilled in the art to fully comprehend the underlying features of my invention that they may embody the same in the various modifications in structure and relation contemplated, a drawing depicting a preferred form has been annexed as a part of this disclosure and in such drawing, similar reference characters denote corresponding parts throughout all the views, of which,

Figure 1 is'a view in perspective a part thereof being broken away, of my improved plating device, the same being shown in position on a piece of metal, one surface of which is to be plated, and

Figure 2 is a view in sectional elevation showing the construction of the casing and the position of the electrode therein, a schematic diagram of the circuit employed being illustrated in connection with this view.

Referring to the drawings in detail, 5 indicates a casing substantially rectangular in .20 or object to be plated.

formation and preferably made of a suitable insulating material, the lower edge of the casing 5 being provided with an extended lip 6 peripherally thereof which can be used with suitable clamps to hold the plating device in connection with an article to be plated. These clamps have not been shown but it is well undierstood that any type of clamp might be use The top 7 of the casing is provided at substant-ially its mid portion wlth an upwardly extending filling neck 8 which is threaded exteriorly to receive the cap 9 which can be threaded down thereon to form an effective closure for the casing, the closure being rendered liquid-proof through the medium of a suitable gasket 10 disposed betweeif the upper end of the neck 8 and the under surface of the cap 9, If desired, the cap may be knurled as at 11 so that the same may be readily manipulated.

The end walls 12 of the casing adjacent their upper ends are provided with suitable openings 13 and 14, the latter of which is threaded to receive a contact bolt 15 which extends through the end wall 12 of the case and is arranged to be threaded into a removable electrode 16. This electrode is made of any suitable plating material and in the event silver plating is desired, the electrode will be 83 made of silver. If the plating is to be of gold, the electrode will also be of gold. The outer end of the contact bolt 15 exteriorly of the casing is provided with the lock nut 17 between which is arranged the end of a wire 83 18 which leads to a battery or other source of electrical energy. The other end of the wire is secured to a suitable clip 19 which is releasably attached to the piece of material The opposite end of the electrode 16 from that holding the contact bolt 15 is maintained in position in alignment with the opening 13 in the end 12 of the-casing through the medium of a suitable screw 21. It is quite evident that by removing the screw and threading the contact bolt out slightly, the electrode can. be removed for replacement. Y

The casing, as has been before noted. may be made of insulating material and hard rubber is considered very adaptable for this purpose due to the fact that it is an acid-resisting substance. The bottom of the case 5 is arranged to receive a felt pad which fits snugly 5 therein making a sealed tit and thus effectively keeping the electro-plating solution 23 within the case. This pad is sufliciently porous, however, to permit the solution to maintain the same, very moist, so that being soft and pliable when pressed against the article to be plated, it will conform more or less to the shape thereof and will make a perfect electrical contact. It is also preferable that the casing be made up to fit the contour of the article to be plated, such as automobile door handles and in the plating of small standard parts, such as lamp rims, or like casings, special shaped cases 5 could be made up with their correspondingly shaped pads to fit over the devices so that every'portion thereof will be engaged by the pad 22 so that plating can be effectively carried on.

In the drawing, illustrating my invention, the piece to-be plated, 20, may represent any particular portlon of a device to be plated, it

- being of course understood that the part engaged by the pad member 22 will be the part plated. The solution is poured into the case through the filling neck 8 until it completely covers the electrodes and when the power is turned on, the circuit made by the article to be plated through the felt pad, through the solution within the case, through the electrode in the case and through the battery, will result in a. thin filament of the metal of the electrode being deposited on the article to be plated. This is the electrolytic process as practiced in the large vats wherein the article 'to be plated is submerged but it is quite evident that my device can be used in practically any and all conditions and it is especially adaptable for use on automobile parts without removing the same from the car. In the plating of an automobile radiator, only one terminal need be used and that one connected to the terminal of the electrode as the radiator is grounded with the battery on all cars. The voltage to be used can bevaried from four to twenty-four volts and any storage battery can be used for plating with my device. Dry cells may also be used and from three to ten of them produce the best results with my plating device. 7

It is of course understood that the roper solution to correspond with the electrode and the particular type of plating to be done will be employed in each instance and it is quite evident that the electrode can be replaced for any kind of plating.

It 1s evident, therefore, that this device can be used within the confines of a room in which the article to be plated is kept, this being especially true in the case of the plating of parts on a huge vault whereby the constant 'attentionof the owner to the articles in the safe is eliminated by reason of the fact that no part of the safe is removed for plating.

It is quite evident,- therefore, that I have provided a plating device having few parts and one which can be conveniently used and positioned against an article to be plated.

It is also evident that in a device of the character referred to, the plating process will be carried on efi'ectively'due to the porous nature of the pad and the perfect electrical contact obtained by reason of the seepage of the electro-plating solution into the pad to keep the same in a'moist state.

While I have illustrated and described my invention with some degree of particularity, I realize that in practice various alterations therein may be made. I therefore reserve the right and privilege of changing the form of the details of construction or otherwise altering the arrangement of the correlated parts without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention What I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is A device for electroplating a surface comprising an insulating, acid resisting casing having openings in the opposite walls thereof, a filling neck in the casing, a cap for said neck, an electrode of plating material positioned in the casing, threaded members engaging said opening for supporting said electrode and one of said members constituting a contact post extending exteriorly of said casing, a pad arranged in the casing and adapted to form a closure for one side there- 

